It seems January was a particularly eventful month for vandalism at Blackburn College. Three confirmed and one rumored incidents of vandalism were reported. Two incidents are suspected to be racially motivated.
Trash cans were removed in residence halls across campus. It was widely rumored to have been a result of trash can vandalism in a residence hall, but Campus Services (CS) supervisor Torry Grady disputed the claim, saying in an e-mail, “The trash cans were removed from dorm bathrooms for maintenance (sic) and cleaning.” On Feb. 1, trash cans were restored to residence halls, having indeed been cleaned.
In North (Challacombe) Hall, a vent on a CS closet was kicked in on the second floor while on the first floor the words “F— you” were written on a board North Resident Assistant John Esparza describes as “brand new.” The residents were ordered to pay the cost of replacing the vent and board and informed that if the hall is vandalized again, residents will pay $50 each, which Esparza believes “will really knock some sense into people before they vandalize something again.”
In Jewell Hall and Hudson Hall, two Martin Luther King Jr. themed boards were ripped down. On the bulletin board outside of Tech services, a board celebrating King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech was vandalized.